The Q at Parkside

(for those for whom the Parkside Q is their hometrain)

News and Nonsense from the Brooklyn neighborhood of Lefferts and environs, or more specifically a neighborhood once known as Melrose Park. Sometimes called Lefferts Gardens. Or Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Or PLG. Or North Flatbush. Or Caledonia (west of Ocean). Or West Pigtown. Across From Park Slope. Under Crown Heights. Near Drummer's Grove. The Side of the Park With the McDonalds. Jackie Robinson Town. Home of Lefferts Manor. West Wingate. Near Kings County Hospital. Or if you're coming from the airport in taxi, maybe just Flatbush is best.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Q & A(rts and Culture)

A stroll to the Park this morning yielded this delightful sight at our beloved Q:

Yes the Arts & Culture Fest has arrived and will settle in every Saturday til it gets cold again. As the Q reported in February, Atim Annette Oton and Javaka Steptoe have gone to great lengths to create a nifty bazaar at the plaza in front of the Q at Parkside. I didn't have time to peruse all the offerings, but here's a picture of artist Noel Hefele in front of some of his landscapes.

Word on the street is that at this early juncture you can get a table for as little as $50, though have to fit the theme are subject to curation by the organizers. (FYI, don't just show up with your own table like I always do at public
gatherings. You never know when you're going to need a 6' folding
table, I always say, but it's considered bad bazaar etiquette.) I'll bet the price will go up when the bazaar gets cooking - figuratively and literally, as there's gonna be some food happening too. A growing list of vendors includes : A&CF Vendors.

And since I'm too pooped from celebrating Little Miss Q's 3rd birthday, I'll combine this post with a question. What's going on with the Parkside Coffee Shop, previously Parkside Donut, the curious combination eatery featuring the mouthwatering combination of Chicken, Donuts AND Pupusas? It appears they've moved into the short-lived pizza joint next door and are making room for...any ideas?

6 comments:

i was waiting for you to mention the parkside coffee shop! i can't believe they replicated the same exact store (same signs) in the next space. i was really hoping for the return of some (better) pizza. preferably open late!

It is an improvement though. They must have invested in a better ventilation system. Entering to order my whiting hero, I did not leave stinking of day old frying grease. It does not make since for them to vacate a larger spot for a smaller one with not even enough room for counter seating so I imagine they will probably open it up into the old space.

Word is that both stores will be merging. Not sure if that means that the chicken store is enlarging, or if they will also be selling pizza . Regardless , it is nice to see them spending money to spruce up the store/neighborhood.

If we are looking for some "nice" stores , sit down restaurants, and some of the basics found in most other neighborhoods like banks, bagel stores, ice cream shops, bakeries, etc, then we need to bring them here ourselves. All of us living in PLG need to really consider opening the businesses we want to see in this neighborhood, or trying to rally existing businesses in other Brooklyn neighborhoods to open another location here. The businesspeople currently attracted to PLG seem to think everyone only wants pizza, chicken, bodegas and hair salons, and clearly the landlords don't care who they rent to or what kind of businesses they are bringing, so they certainly aren't helping us bring more diverse options here. There's so much talk about wanting more options here but without a dedicated group of people working towards this goal, it's not going to happen.